during the last ten years than any other section in the country.
In the character and condition of the students also, time has wrought striking changes. They come from a much wider area than formerly. Six States are represented in the catalogue of 1800; in that of 1836, thirteen; in that of 1893, twenty-four. The old communal system, by which the classes passed through the college as a unit, all the members of them studying the same subjects and, with unimportant exceptions, reciting together three times a day, has disappeared. The size of recent classes and the introduction of elective studies have brought it to an end.
The rise and exceptional development of Greek letter societies constitute an important factor in the college of to-day. They began in 1833 by the establishment of a single fraternity on a very modest basis. Two more were added the next year. In 1855 the number had risen to eight, where it remained until 1885. Since that time three new societies have been organized, making eleven altogether. In 1893, out of a total of 338 students, 194 were members of these fraternities. The club houses, too, have shared in the general transformation. Twenty-five years ago the societies generally occupied rented and indifferent, if not obscure, quarters. Now they own some of the most costly and attractive houses in the village. They afford their members a place where they feel entirely at home, and in a certain sense constitute a defence against the social limitations which belong to the life of a country town. These societies naturally create centers of their own, and in connection with the trend of modern educational methods unquestionably tend to break up the common class life. But in institutions where the numbers are no larger than at Williams, it is possible that the gains will quite equal the losses. While class lines may be obscured, some compensation will be found in the new relations which spring up out of deeper, more vital affinities; and it is believed that there is no less earnest and faithful work, no less enthusiasm for books and nature and humanity, in the modern era of comforts than in the times of narrowness and privation.
Williams has no ambition to be anything more than a college, — an institution which affords a general as distinguished from a technical or professional culture. The latter belongs to the university, and the college ought not to meddle with it except incidentally. Modern developments in the domain of literature, science, and philosophy have destroyed the old college curriculum and compelled a certain amount of selection and specialization. The difficulty lies in setting their limits. At Williams it is proposed to offer no course which does not, in the judgment of the authorities, fairly lead up to the degree of B. A. That has been recognized for a long time both theoretically and practically as being the degree which belonged peculiarly and appropriately to the college, and the multiplication of the degrees must be regarded as a step in the direction of the university or, what is more probable, of the high school. Williams has recently revived a practice of her own — that of offering the degree of B. A. without Greek — which was in effect from 1795 to 1799. French could then be substituted for Greek. At present, in addition to French, German or Advanced Mathematics may take the place of it. Otherwise the studies of Freshman and Sophomore years are mostly required. In Junior and Senior years, something more than one third of the work is elective. And in general the institution, while endeavoring to hold fast to those fundamental principles which fix the bounds and determine the sphere of the college, will not be indifferent to the varying phases of educational movement.
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